Photo and copyright by G. R. Ballance
LANGKOIEL FROM SEISER ALP: TYROL
THE WONDERLAND OF EUROPE
The dual monarchy, and particularly
Austria, could derive a considerable reve
nue from the tourist traffic. The charm
of some of the old towns, as, for exam
ple, Prague, is very great, the mineral
springs of which are numerous and valu
able, but two only-Carlsbad and Ma
rienbad-are well known. The Dalma
tian coast rivals the Riviera both in cli
mate and beauty, and the mountains alone
could form a very considerable attraction.
That Austria is, after Switzerland, the
most mountainous region in Europe, and
that more than four-fifths of her vast ter
ritory is over 600 feet above the level of
the sea, is no doubt news to the majority
of people.
To the popular mind, that vast range
of mountains which overruns a large
portion of southwestern Europe and to
which the name Alps has been given, sug
gests Switzerland, little Switzerland, and
nothing more. And yet there are Italian,
French, German, and Austrian Alps as
well, so great is the extent of the range.
The reason for this general misappre
hension seems to be that Switzerland has
for years advertised, if we may use the
word, her mountains for the pleasure of
outsiders and has made a great resort of
them, whereas Austria, for instance, has
used her mountains for the enjoyment of
her own people-and the Austrians cer
tainly do enjoy them.
Mountain-climbing is their great na
tional game, like baseball among us. Old,
young, middle-aged, all take a keen inter
est in it. And even Emperor Francis
Joseph himself is an enthusiastic moun
taineer at more than 80 years of age. In
his time it is said he has scaled most of
the great peaks of his country.
THE DOLOMITES
There are five central points in the
Austrian Alps from which the several
sections of that vast mountain region are
accessible. Innsbruck for the Tyrol and
Vorarlberg, Salzburg for the Salzburger
Alps and the Salzkammergut, Bozen for
the Dolomites and South Tyrol, Villach
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